Improvement in ore-separators



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. P. PLANT. Ore-Separator.

No. 207,622. 2 Patented sept. 3, 187s.

mfjzesse@ Ine/'72 Z022 N-|PETERS, PbmTD-UTHQGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

2 Sheets-Sh'eepl P. PLANT. y Ore-Separator,

No. 207,622. Patented Sept. 3, 1878.

3, jv 1l I ,2 v v a A y JV 'e f s N.PETERS. PNOTUALITHOGRAPHER,WASHINmoN. D4 C.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIGE.

PASOHAL PLANT, OF YVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ORE-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,622, datedSeptember 3, 1878 3 application filed March 11, 1878.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAsoHAL PLANT, of Washington, District of Columbia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gold-Separators;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in Which- Figure l is a perspective view of my improvedapparatus; Fig. 2, a vertical section, showing the gear mechanism. Figs.3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 show modified forms of the cylinder or basin and meansof operating the same. Figs. 8 and 9 show the cylinder, with modifiedforms of the distributer; and Figs. 10 and l1 are details, showing theconstruction of the ribs or shelves.

The object of my invention is to furnish an apparatus by which the fineparticles of metal may be separated from auriferous and argentiferoussand, or earth, or pulverized quartz, more perfectlyand at less cost andless labor than heretofore, which is at once cheap, portable, durable,and easily operated, and which may be used either with or without water.

The nature of my invention is to effect the separation of the particlesof precious metal from the sand or earth with which they are mingled bycentrifugal force; and it consists in imparting to the sand, earth, &c.,a violent whirling or sliding motion around the inside of a suitablecylinder, basin, or pan, or upon a plate or table having suitableprojections or shelves, to which is given, by any suitable means ormechanism, a circular swinging mo- JLion.

The simplest and cheapest construction is shown in Fig. 3, consisting ofthe cylinder B, open at both ends, and supported loosely upon the bentshaft D. This cylinder is provided upon the inside with the projections,which form annular pockets or shelves N. These shelves may be removable,so that when one set becomes worn they may be replaced by new ones.

The form of removable shelves which I prefer is shown in Figs. l() andll, having the upwardly-projectin g lip ony and the upper and lowershelves, with the iianges a n, by which they may be bolted to thecylinder, and thus, by means of these projection s, secure the wholeseries within the cylinder. The cylinder is prevented from rotating uponthe shaft by the stay or arm C. (Fully shown in Fig. l.)

I, Figs. 2, 8, and 9, represents distributers, supported within thecylinder by arms M, so as to leave an annular space between the edge ofthe distributer and the inside of the cylinder. This'distributer may bea'plane disk, as shown in Fig.`1, or it maybe plane, with theprojections n a upon its upper surface, as shown in Fig. 8; orthedistributer may be disk-shaped, with or without shelves or projections,as shown -in Fig. 9. A

Mechanism substantially such as shown in Figs. l and 2, to behereinafter described, is employed to rotate the shaft.. Rapid revolvingswinging motion will thus be imparted to the cylinder. The ore, beingfed through a suitable hopper, H, upon the distributer I, is firstthrown upon the first or uppermost shelf, and, by the swinging motion ofthe cylinder, will be violently thrown or slid around the inside thereofupon this shelf, malaring a complete circuit once for every revolutionof the shaft. The particles of greatest specific gravity being mostaffected by the centrifugal force thus obtained will hug the sides ofthe cylinder, and when this shelf has become full, the ore beingcontinually fed, will crowd the lighter portions over the edge of thisshelf', causing them to fall to the shelf below, where they are againthrown around the cylinder. When this second shelf becomes full the'worthless portions will again be precipitated to the next lower shelf,and so on in succession through the cylinder, the worthless matter beingdischarged at the bottom having been subjected to the centrifugal actionas many times as there are shelves in the cylinder, leaving the valuableportion upon the shelves7 from whence it may be collected.

In the devices shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 7 the discharge is not at thebottom, as above described; but the material is fed in at the top, anddischarged at the top also.

within the cylinder, it being of conical shape. The rotary motion causesthe ore to rise from shelf' to shelf, and is discharged at the top,leaving, as before, the valuable portions upon l Ithe shelves.

In these (levices there is no distributor. The ore is thrown The devicesshown in Figs. l and 2 combine these two operations. The cylinder B,with its shelves N and distributer I, are supported by arms M within thebasin B'. The bent shaft D, which supports the two cylinders, isjournaled at the top and bottom in trame-work A. To the topof the shaftis secured the beveled pinion E, which meshes into the gear F on the endof the horizontal shaft G. This shaft is also supported by theframe-work A, and a crank, g, and a pulley, Q, are provided, by which torevolve the shaft and communicate motion to the cylinders. The stay orarm C, composed of an elbow-joint, hinged to the frame-work and thecylinder, prevents the rotation of the cylinder upon the shaft. In thisdevice the ore, being fed upon the distributer, traverses the shelves ofthe plain cylinder B and falls upon the bottom of the conical cylinderor basin B', from whence it rises from shelf to shelf until thrown outover the upper edge.

It is obvious that the same motion may be obtained by attaching thecylinder to the bent crank outside of the cylinder, as shown in Figs. l,2, and 9, by means of the rings z and arms z', or, as in Figs. 5 and 6,with the bent support D' at the bottom and the crank D" at the' upperedge, to which the gear will be attached.

The cylinders may be made of any suitable material, such as sheet-ironor sheet-copper; and the shelves may be made removable, so that when oneset becomes worn a new set may be supplied.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. The cylinder provided with the annular chambers or pockets, incombination with mechanism for imparting to the cylinder a circularswinging motion, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The cylinder provided with the shelves, in combination with the bentshaft and the arm or stay to prevent the rotation of the cylinder uponthe shaft, substantially as described.

3. The circular swinging cylinder provided with the shelves orprojections, in combination with the distributer I, substantially asshown and described.

4. The circular swinging cylinder, incombination with removable shelves,having the lip m and the projection u', substantially as shown.

5. The cylinder B, supported in basin B', in combination with the bentcrank, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The basin B', provided with the annular depressions or pockets,\incombination with the bent cra-nk D and arrn or stay G, as and for thepurpose set forth.

IASGHAL PLANT.

Vitnesses:

J oHN A. TAUBERscI-IMIDT, J AMES B. VANDERWERKEN.

